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Orson Hyde (1805-1878)
}} Biography Orson Hyde (January 8, 1805 – November 28, 1878) was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 to 1875 and was a missionary of the LDS Church in the United States, Europe, and the Ottoman Empire. Member of the Original Quorum. Was removed from the Quorum due to apostasy May 4, 1839, but readmitted Jun 27, 1839. As a result, was given reduced seniority on 10 Apr 1875. Early Life Hyde was born to Nathan Hyde (1767-1822) and Sally Thorpe (1770-1812) in Oxford, Connecticut. He was raised in nearby Derby, Connecticut, under the care of Nathan Wheeler. In 1819, when he was just 14 years of age, he walked from Connecticut to Kirtland, Ohio to care for a piece of property Wheeler had purchased. While employed as a retail clerk in Kirtland, Hyde became involved with the Reformed Baptist Society, also called Campbellites, through the preaching of Sidney Rigdon. Joins LDS Church When Oliver Cowdery and other Latter Day Saint missionaries preached in Kirtland in late 1830, Hyde spoke publicly against the "Mormon Bible". However, when his former minister, Sidney Rigdon joined the Latter Day Saint church, Hyde investigated the claims of the missionaries, and was baptized by Rigdon on October 30, 1831. Hyde was called on a succession of missions for the church, serving with Hyrum Smith, Samuel H. Smith, and John Gould. In 1832 he was among the first missionaries in Connecticut; he was also among the first missionaries from the church to preach in Maine and Massachusetts. * LDS Kirtland Ohio Stake - original member of the 1st stake high council. Zions Camp Participant One of the most interesting episodes in the early history of LDS Church was the march of Zion's Camp (1834). The members of the Church in Missouri were being persecuted, and the Prophet Joseph made it a matter of prayer and received a revelation on February 24, 1834. The Lord instructed the Prophet to assemble at least one hundred young and middle-aged men and to go to the land of Zion, or Missouri. (See D&C 130:19–34.) Zion’s Camp, a group of approximately one hundred and fifty men, gathered at Kirtland, Ohio, in the spring of 1834 and marched to Jackson County, Missouri. By the time they reached Missouri, the camp had increased to approximately two hundred men. Hyde marched with Zion's Camp in 1834. He was ordained an apostle of the church on February 15, 1835 as one of the original twelve, being fifth in seniority. An apostolic mission with Heber Chase Kimball (1801-1868) to Great Britain in 1837 to 1838 was successful in bringing thousands of converts to the faith. Middle East Mission * See Also Birth of Modern Israel - by Cleon Skousen (May 1972 Ensign) * See Also Orson Hyde's 1841 Mission to Israel - by David Galbraith (Oct 1991 Ensign) One of Hyde's most significant missions was a call to preach in Jerusalem. From April 1841 to December 1842, he proselyted in Palestine. Originally he was supposed to travel with John Page, another prominent Mormon, but Page never showed up in New York and Hyde left without him. According to the minutes of the meeting on April 6, 1840, at which Hyde was dispatched he was "to visit the cities of London, Amsterdam, Constantinople, and Jerusalem; and also other places that he may deem expedient; and converse with the priests, rulers, and elders of the Jews, and obtain from them all the information possible, and communicate the same to some principal paper for publication, that it may have a general circulation throughout the United States." His letter of introduction claimed that “The Jewish nations have been scattered abroad among the Gentiles for a long period; and in our estimation, the time of the commencement of their return to the Holy Land has already arrived.” Hyde spent from April 1841 to December 1842 in Jerusalem. He recorded that before dawn on October 24, 1841 he climbed up the Mount of Olives overlooking the city, then both wrote and recited a prayer, part of which reads: Now, O Lord! Thy servant has been obedient to the heavenly vision which Thou gavest him in his native land; and under the shadow of Thine outstretched arm, he has safely arrived in this place to dedicate and consecrate this land unto Thee, for the gathering together of Judah's scattered remnants, according to the predictions of the holy Prophets -- for the building up of Jerusalem again after it has been trodden down by the Gentiles so long, and for rearing a Temple in honor of Thy name. Everlasting thanks be ascribed unto Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou hast preserved Thy servant from the dangers of the seas, and from the plague and pestilence which have caused the land to mourn. The violence of man has also been restrained, and Thy providential care by night and by day has been exercised over Thine unworthy servant. Accept, therefore, O Lord, the tribute of a grateful heart for all past favors, and be pleased to continue Thy kindness and mercy towards a needy worm of the dust. Having dedicated Jerusalem and Palestine for the ingathering of the Jews, Hyde departed the mountain after building a small altar with stones. The Orson Hyde Memorial Garden on the Mount was dedicated to Hyde in 1979. The park was funded by donations to the Orson Hyde Foundation through the Jerusalem Foundation. Hyde traveled home through Europe, stopping in Germany to produce the first LDS Church pamphlets in German. Settlement in Utah After the death of Joseph Smith, when the majority of the Latter Day Saints left Nauvoo for Iowa Territory, Hyde was asked to stay behind and oversee the completion and dedication of the Nauvoo Temple in 1846. Hyde returned to England to preside over the British mission from 1846 to 1847. Hyde was then placed in charge of the Camps of Israel in the Midwest in 1848. He remained in Council Bluffs, Iowa until 1852. During the settlement of Utah Territory, Brigham Young called Hyde to lead settlement groups to Carson Valley, Nevada and the Sanpete–Sevier District in Utah. Family of Orson Hyde Orson Hyde practiced plural marriage and had eight additional wives and fathered 32 children. He died on November 28, 1878, and was succeeded in the apostleship by Moses Thatcher. He is buried at Spring City, Sanpete County, Utah. 1st Marriage: Marinda Johnson Hyde married Marinda Nancy Johnson (1815-1886), in Kirtland, Ohio, on September 4, 1834. The Mormon Prophet, Joseph Smith (1805-1844) stayed at her home when she was a young girl (1831-1832). While there Joseph received several doctrinal revelations for the new church. The Johnson Family home was the site of many early church meetings as well as a vicious attack on the young prophet. While Orson was on his mission to Jerusalem, Joseph entered into a spiritual marriage with Marinda. A House Divided - Feb 1979 Ensign - LDS Church magazine - history of the John Johnson Family] When Orson left for England, Marinda was left with a three-week-old baby. Many years later, it was said of her that she experienced “what so many ‘Mormon’ women have since felt, the cares and anxieties of the wife and mother when the husband is on a mission in a foreign land, and the sustaining influence of the Holy Spirit that enabled her to bear cheerfully—even happily—the many scenes of hardship and persecution that all the old members of the Church have endured.” (Journal History, 24 Mar. 1886, p. 3) This was one of many times Marinda was asked to wait for her husband as he traveled the globe in Church service. Marinda was the only one of the Johnson family known to have moved to Nauvoo. There she experienced joy in living the gospel and sorrow as she bade farewell to her husband on his frequent missions for the Church. Undoubtedly one of her greatest trials came when Orson fulfilled a mission to Palestine, traveling approximately twenty thousand miles. In his dedicatory prayer on the Mount of Olives he particularly remembered his family at home: “Though Thy servant is now far from his home … yet he remembers, O Lord, his … family, whom for Thy sake he has left … The hands that have fed, clothed, or shown favor unto the family of Thy servant in his absence, or that shall hereafter do so, let them not lose their reward, but let a special blessing rest upon them, and in Thy kingdom let them have an inheritance when Thou shalt come to be glorified in this society.” (History of the Church, 4:458) This prayer was heard, and the answer given only nine days later in a revelation to the Prophet Joseph. The Lord instructed Joseph Smith that Marinda should have a better place to live, “in order that her life may be spared.” Joseph was further directed to importune the Ebenezer Robinson family to provide for her and her children until Orson returned from his mission. The Robinsons were promised that as they provided for Marinda ungrudgingly, she would be a blessing to them. Finally, Marinda was charged to follow the living prophet “in all things whatsoever he shall teach unto her,” and promised that this would prove to be a blessing to her. (History of the Church, 4:467.) Marriage to Stina Otterstrom * Stina Marie Otterstrom (1848-1865) - No children? Marriage to Mary Ann Price * Mary Ann Price (1816-1901) - One child that died as an infant. Born in England and Living with Orson on 1870 US Census. Marriage to Ann Vickers * Ann Eliza Vickers (1841-1923) - Three Children. Born in Illinois and living with Orson on 1870 US Census with four children. Marriage to Elizabeth Galli * Elizabeth Josephine Galli (1844-1920) - Five children, three survived to adulthood. Born in Switzerland and living with Orson and 3 children on 1870 US Census. Marriage to Sophia Lyon * Sophia Margaret Lyon (1847-1932) - Three children, but only one survived to adulthood. Born in Denmark and living with Orson and 1 child on 1870 US Census. Marriage to Martha Browett * Martha Rebecca Browett (1817-1904) - One child that died as an infant Marriage to Julia Reinert * Julia Thomene Reinert (1842-1919) - Five children, three survived to adulthood. Vital Records 1870 US Census 1870 US Census taken on 18 June 1870 at Spring City, Sanpete Co, Utah. 120th Household. This census shows Orson separated from Marinda Johnson. Four wives, Mary, Ann, Elizabeth and Sophia are present here. * Orson Hyde M/65 B:Connecticut Ocp: Minister of the Gospel * Mary A Hyde F/54 B:England * Ann E Hyde F/28 B:Illinois (Ann E Vickers) * Charles A Hyde M/11 B:Utah * George Hyde M/10 B:Utah * Joseph S Hyde M/8 B:Utah * Melvin Hyde M/2 B:Utah * Elizabeth J Hyde F/26 B:Switzerland * Lucilla Hyde F/4 B:Utah * Orson Hyde M/3 B:Utah * Odin W Hyde M/2 B:Utah * Sophia M Hyde F/23 B:Denmark * Oscar W Hyde M/1 B:Utah * Lewis Christiansen M/20 B:Denmark - Ocp: Laborer * Lene Yebalgren F/15 B:New York - Ocp: Domestic Servant External links *Prayer of Orson Hyde on the Mount of Olives, Sunday morning, October 24, 1841 *Of the travels and ministry of Elder Orson Hyde *Traveling to Jerusalem--Orson Hyde *Utah History Encyclopedia - Orson Hyde *Grampa Bill's G.A. Pages * General Authorities of the LDS Church